


Fleeting Blossoms

by straylize



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Graduation Day, March 5th, Persona 3 Spoilers, pegokita
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 01:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straylize/pseuds/straylize
Summary: A fateful encounter during the Dark Hour—and the memories of him that appear on March 5th of every year. Sometimes, the ones you meet in your childhood are the ones who shape your future, whether you realize that to be the case or not. For Akira Kurusu, that person was Minato Arisato.





	Fleeting Blossoms

The Dark Hour had always been something of a fleeting dream.

For those who had experienced it regularly, perhaps it was really something more of a  _ nightmare _ than a dream. But for those who didn’t—for example, children with  _ the potential _ , those not ready to awaken to their power—it truly was a fleeting dream. But a fleeting dream holds as much potential as a Persona-user themselves, and sometimes, it was in that “hidden hour” that the most fateful of encounters were possible.

And for Akira Kurusu, the encounter was fleeting, fateful, and something he carried deep within him for many years without ever knowing its meaning, or what it would one day guide him towards.  
  


* * *

 

_**September, 2009.** _

 

It was late September of 2009 when Akira first went to Iwatodai; it wasn’t for anything special—not to him, at least. His parents toted him to the small city on a business trip-turned long weekend vacation. If they were going to come all that way from the countryside for a single business meeting, it was only logical that they make something of it, after all. But one of those nights… things did not go quite as planned.

Their hotel had been located near Iwatodai Station, but the Kurusus had elected to visit a nearby area for its tourist-friendly activities—Tatsumi Port Island. A little shopping, and a long dinner with a few too many drinks meant the time got away from the adults. It was nearly midnight when they finished, one prepubescent, tired son in tow as they walked towards the station to head back to the mainland.

The clock struck midnight. The bells tolled to let them know.

But the Kurusu parents did not hear the bells toll, nor did they witness all that followed. They did not see the sky turn that sickly shade of green. They did not see the water that surrounded the island turn that alarming tint of blood red. They did not see the way Gekkoukan High School transformed into an ominous tower that loomed over the island.

They could not see that, even if they wanted to, for they had been encased in coffins.

Akira, however, had seen it all. The whole world seemed to transform around him, and yet all the same, it seemed to be completely frozen in time. Traffic stopped in the streets; the lights flickered until they went dark. Every single person, animal, sign of life seemed to be in a blooded coffin.

He screamed.

Akira wasn’t aware at that time, after all. He had no idea of a hidden hour where the Shadows loomed. He knew nothing of Personas, or of his potential. He didn't know of the potential that was blooming within him, or that he would ever have the means to combat the threats this strange time wrought. All he knew was he was alone, and he was  _ scared. _ What child of his age wouldn’t be, after all? The world around him was distorted, and even as he shook his mother’s coffin, it hardly even budged, save for faint rattling against the pavement. And so he crumbled just a little, crouched down near the ground as tears flooded his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. His parents were like  _ that,  _ the sky was terrifying in color. Groans and grunts could be heard in the distance, far scarier than any creaking that may have implied a monster under the bed in his own room at home.

He was alone.

It wasn’t long, though, before his cries were met with comfort. A warmth that cut through the air’s tension like a knife through soft butter.

“It’s going to be okay,” the voice spoke softly, and after a short moment, he felt a delicate hand press against the top of his head. Still teary-eyed, Akira looked up to see who it was that wasn’t encased in a coffin like all the rest. He was a fair bit older—old enough to wear a high school uniform—with dark hair that covered half his face. He wasn’t sure how to react, despite the attempt at comfort. Akira curled in on himself a little more; comforting as the young man intended to be, he alarmed Akira—what if this guy was the one behind it? What if he was dangerous? His mind was already in something of a panic, but that sentiment would not be made to last.

The young man chuckled gently before he crouched down in front of Akira. On his lips was something that resembled a smile, if one could call it that. But it wasn’t his smile that made him assuring, it was the very gentle look in his eyes that managed to catch Akira’s attention. He wasn't patronizing like many adults were; he didn't say that it was silly to cry, or that he was foolish for behaving that way at his age—as if nine years old was meant to be treated like that of an adult's age. Instead, this high school student was gentle, even if otherwise hard to ready.

“Everything will go back to normal soon,” the young man offered. “I’ll stay here until then.”

Akira looked at him, befuddled before he nodded his head. Even if he knew nothing about this person, there  _ was _ something soothing about having someone else there. It made things just a little less scary. It helped to tune out the threats in the distance, and helped to keep his teary eyes focused on something beside his coffined parents.

“What… what’s happening?” Akira eventually worked up the courage to ask that question after a long moment of uncomfortable silence. The young man responded with another pat on the head before he spoke.

“It’s…” He paused, at a loss for words. How was he supposed to explain the Dark Hour to scared child that wasn’t meant to be involved with what he himself was chasing? After a brief pause, he came up with the only logical conclusion. He didn't have to lie to withhold necessary information, after all. “A secret.”

“A secret?” His eyes lit up, having widened just a little. It did the trick to quell his tears for a moment, at least.

The young man placed a finger out—his pinky. “So you can’t tell anyone this part, okay?”

“Mm! I promise!” His fear was forgotten entirely for the moment, which left the young man a little relieved. He wasn’t sure, after all, what he would have done if he had to deal with inconsolable crying for the better part of an hour. Instead, he was met with a small boy's pinky linking with his own. It would be a secret between the two of them... and everyone else who was aware of the Dark Hour, of course. Though this young man had no intent of telling anyone else about this boy, or else he would undoubtedly be brought into the fold like a certain other child in their group.

“There’s an hour that most people don’t know about. It’s hidden. Only those with special power can stay awake for it.”

“Special power? Like a manga? Or Featherman?” Though the only light that illuminated where they remained was from the sickly, near-full moon, it was easy to see the way Akira's eyes were bright with excitement from such a thrilling secret.

The young man offered a chuckle in response—soft, more like an amused breath, really. “Something like that. You can see it, so you have special power too. You’re just not ready to use it yet.”

“And… that’s why it’s a secret, right?”

The young man nodded. “It wouldn’t be special if everyone knew about it.”

“I get it. So that means you have powers too, right?”

“No. I'm just a normal guy.”

“What do you mean, no? You just said—” But Akira couldn’t finish his protest before the young man offered another faint laugh. He didn’t often tease the children he interacted with, but this kid was somehow just a little more gullible and optimistic; he had a naivete that Ken and Maiko didn’t share. It was endearing, in a way. He supposed most kids probably would have been easily distracted by what he was saying, and yet still… he couldn’t help but wonder about this boy. It seemed the Shadows weren’t drawn to him, but yet the potential was clearly within him.

It was an odd situation, to be certain. The young man spoke to him for the remainder of their time, with playful ribbing and only vague hints of what the Dark Hour truly meant. When that hidden time came to a close, Akira’s fears had been entirely quelled, and his parents would be none the wiser—not to what their son had experienced, but also to who he had met.

They never exchanged names. They never met again.

The night Akira experienced the Dark Hour—it was the only time he ever would, and it would be memory that he would later only recall as a dream.

* * *

 

_**March 5, 2010.** _

 

On a school rooftop, a life was fading away. A song of reminiscence was sung in soft tones. Sunlight warmed their skin. The petals of cherry blossoms danced through the air, singing their own song in the cool, early spring breeze.

In a faded, fuzzy mind, as that life faded away, there was a thought.

_ “If that boy ever needs more power than what he possesses, let him have some of mine.” _

A man who existed between dream and reality, mind and matter, filed that sentiment away for the future. He planted it in one aided him, though it was not yet her time to act.

A heart stopped beating on that day. While many celebrated the end of semester, of graduating, a small group of those who once experienced a hidden hour mourned the loss of a leader who gave his life to ensure they would have one. In doing so, that leader also assured that  _ he _ would have one as well.

Elsewhere, the cherry blossoms continued to dance through the air. They floated with little rhyme or reason. Some went mere feet, while others traveled great distances.

In a small town near the countryside, Akira Kurusu caught a cherry blossom petal in his palm. A sentiment reached him from a far-off rooftop. Something bittersweet that whispered a song he didn’t recognize in his ear. His eyes welled with tears, but he couldn’t understand why. It felt like like a connection to him had severed, somehow. When asked, all he could say was “I just feel sad...”

Every year on March 5th, a cherry blossom danced toward him. Every year, it sung that same song. Every year, his chest felt tight.

But every year, he also grew a little bolder, unafraid to tackle the unknown. Unafraid to do whatever it took to protect someone else.

* * *

 

_**March 5th, 2017.** _

 

In just a couple of weeks, Akira would be leaving Tokyo after an arduous year. He had lost it all. Family. Home. Friends. Reputation. He had stolen hearts. He had seen the ugly side of a jail cell. He had seen the ugly side of humanity as well.

In the same breath, he had gained so much more. He gained family. Home. Friends. Bonds that couldn't be severed, and a sense of hope for the future he hadn't known for a long time. He had used a great hidden power to overcome life’s hardships. The power of Persona had changed his life.

A cherry blossom petal danced into his palm. As he did every year, he heard its song—but this time, it sang from within in his heart, rather than a faint whisper in his ear.

_ Orpheus. _

A Persona he had summoned a long while back; it was considered a gift from a past Persona-user. He didn’t understand it when Caroline and Justine said as much, but it was a Persona that always filled him with warmth.

And now, it sang that song that brought him to tears in years past.

This time, the song brought back a memory to his mind. A night with with an ominous sky, and a boy who must have been about their age at the time. The one who had told him of a power he may one day need.

_ The power of Persona. _

His fist clenched, a gasp escaped his lips. All this time he’d thought it to be a dream, but Orpheus ringing in his heart and mind told him otherwise.

“...Akira, is everything all right?” The sound of Yusuke’s voice reverberated in the air. “You seem to be clenching your fist rather tightly.”

“Oh…” Akira snapped back to attention, and he offered a weak smile to his friend. He opened his palm and the petal danced away. “I just remembered something from when I was a kid.”

Yusuke’s head tilted to one side, a quizzical expression settling in on his features.

“Orpheus,” He began, but Akira didn’t know what he wanted say.

“That Persona of yours?”

Akira nodded. “It… was the Persona of someone I met a long time ago. I think he let me borrow some of his power.”

“I see… He must have been quite remarkable. I wasn't aware that Personas could be used in that way...” Yusuke trailed off; he admittedly wasn’t sure what Akira meant, or how that would even be possible.

A small, bittersweet smile formed on Akira’s lips. “I think… there’s one more fight for the Phantom Thieves. I have to return what isn’t mine”

Yusuke nodded, always ready to comply with what he wanted; Akira led the Phantom Thieves in a way nobody else could, and he had earned undying trust for that reason. Akira, though… looked to the sky as the petals floated through the air. There was fair more to his declaration and his goal than he offered to his friend in that moment.

He didn’t need to be told explicitly what he knew was true. That boy was no longer with them—but he believed maybe he had the key to changing that. That song came to him every year in fleeting blossoms, with memories just as fleeting. Orpheus, too, found a way—there was something more than coincidence that Akira didn't believe he had a right to squander

There was a lot to thank that boy for, after all. The assurance he got that night gave him the confidence to stand up for what he believed in. The belief in his own power allowed him to awaken. Orpheus had aided him in many battles. And though Akira didn’t know his name…

He always heard Minato’s song every March. 

 

_Memories of You._

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of March 5th... it's not QUITE a pegokita fic, but it still kind of is. In a way.


End file.
